consistent with anything which has to do with transparency and corruption in the muslim majority countries. consistency is the answer. >> thank you, professor. >> thank you. i'm trying to sympathize quite complex idea. most of that i welcome you here. i welcome your ideas, and [inaudible] i'm from the caribbean. we share similar things. first thing i would like to talk about is the arab awakening and the issue of the pollution of the arab awakening. how do you see, you know, in my opinion, the way this is seen in even talked about yet tonight is simple. i think you're trying to deconstruct that way of thinking.

what i see is an attempt -- [inaudible] people in the [inaudible] going back to in my belostled caribbean the haitian revolution. you know, of people trying to -- [inaudible] peopling to assess with a is going on and trying to find models to change the world you have -- [inaudible] i would likes to know maybe some ideas of sudden more people inside, you know, for their [inaudible] to what you have talked about where we are at this point in time. i'm sure some arab intellectuals and stuff like that talk about some vision of arab democracy and economic policy. that's a first thing. the second thing, the second idea -- [inaudible] the second question is important because where i differ with you. where i differ with you is on the notion that if it is a re-- in my part of the world and if

the revolt goes bad and violent dictatorship there we should say back off for a minute. if we can find international somewhere to humanely intervene. it's a horrific problem. there's a lot of things behind intervention to put a democracy rule who is indigenously evolved ands a thanst the way i would go forward. >> thank you. quickly about your questions. the first one, i think that i agree with you and i think there are a lots of intellectuals and mainly among the young generation women and men that are coming with a vision that is quite interesting. and that we have to support. so, you know, after the uprisings we had -- we had the power and the stress of the movement they knew they were against the dictators, beyond any political affiliations. the weakness of the whole

movement is they don't know why what they wanted afterward and they were -- for what exactly. and they are intent yules but still there are trapped in to this simple simplistic. what i hope is to see much more discussion and critical discussion and this is where from where we are we can be part of the discussion in the positive way. the second question about if we have to be involved and of course, i think we have to be involved. we have to ask ourself in which we away have to be evolved in the case of libya, for example, the way nato was. i myself wasn't very a bbc and, you know, gaffe -- we are going to kill the people in benghazi. and he said he's going kill. he was going kill. [inaudible] what do we have to do?

i was no no-fly zone. i wanted i think that today in syria, it's very, very, very disappointing to see we are not doing anything. it's as if we have agreed to disagree on this and let. be the way it was with the syrians. i'm not saying we have to be passive. we have to be respectful and we should not intervene only to protect the interest in libya. it was a clear it was deal between the united states and france. i think in syria we have to care about the people being killed and not the strategic interest which is i think is the case today. >> i'm a journalist from egypt visiting d.c., and returning back again to cover the i i did i did diad.a. lem that.

you said that the islamist in egypt say that the -- [inaudible] this is not the case. [inaudible] to islam and what can be solution to this gap which i think will not be solvent in the upcoming years. we will have -- problems. >> thank you. thank you for this question. first, what are you saying about the muslim hood and what was said was right. that's right. let me finish. he was talking about changing and reforming the individual, the family, and the society and at the end to get the islamic state and this was against the british residence and liberate the country toward the islam state. this is clear.

if you look what is happening now within the muslim brotherhood you cannot say it is the same discourse. you can't say this. you might they they are changing words and having the same intelligence but be what was said recently even by mercy he said it clearly it's a [inaudible] no. you have to acknowledge he said it. once again, heim not asking you to trust what they are saying. when you deal with a political movement, you have to understand there are you are dealing with prague pragmatism. no one trust what he was doing. [inaudible] and we will check their behavior not just question their statement. today the muslim hood changed. yesterday they were democracy.

they were not -- they are talking about it. it might be a political strategy. it might be. it might also they have change from women because the muslim brotherhood change -- we have to check this on the ground. we cannot just decide it's all politics. it's exactly the same with many of the people, you know, many leftists we have today in the west are very much social democracies. yesterday they were [inaudible] [laughter] and some here. i had a discussion with many of the people and within the muslim brotherhood because the young generation is not following the older generation. there are movements and tensions from within we have to check this. they are not only columnized with the positions. this is one and this is what i'm asking. i'm not trusting the words. i want to see this on the

ground. now about the [inaudible] i'm reading what he's doing. what to do with the muslim majority society. you can adjust the answer is coming from him. the answer will come from the discussion the critical discussion between his positions and others. because he's not only accepting the secularist approach. he's critical toward the secularist. i think the only good answer is going to come from critical discussions between the political agents and actors in the society. [applause] [inaudible conversations] i will take two questions very quickly. and then -- [inaudible

conversations] you know, can i -- [inaudible conversations] if you can take -- you and two other women and that's it. >> okay. >> good comprise. okay. professor, just a question that is on in the headlines every day the issue with the nuclear ability of iran, i would you to comment on that because it seems to be -- it's got a life all on it's own that is moving long and i'm troubled by it. okay. >> i think the two other questions and i will answer the three all together. turned owtion we asking a similar question. i'll preface to say i was in egypt for three and a half years until december 2007 and call it

a binge to watch the revolution in egypt. it was privilege to know the advocates for democratic reform. followup to this as i was coming to the event, there's news coming from cairo that is going to be problem going all over fox news today and tomorrow about rest of the week. that is that the embassy in cairo, that they were scaled, the u.s. embassy -- so you know it. they apparently the u.s. flag was taken down in cairo and instead a black flag with -- there was only one god law and the mohamed is the messenger and this is scandalous in terms of we see all of the democratic reform and we want to believe we have seen all of this inspiring movement toward democratic reform and you have this. it's going to be all over the news. what would your response be to all of the things that are likely the palmic comments that

are likely to come. if it's too much for you. how would you mitigate -- excuse me, sorry. mitigate between the freedom of the press, and freedom of religion and here i am confused by the guys. yeah. freedom of the press, and the respect of religion. the conflict in some ways that's going on in the middle east. >> there is one last -- yes? >> hi. my name is [inaudible] i'm a student another george washington university. i'm an exchange student from cairo, and my question is basically about, againing again being a practicing muslim woman in egypt, we saw the amazing like the revolution. we were there in the square. but two months after wards there was the women's rights the day the international women's day and the women martha day was actually attacked, and i understand growing up in cairo

and knowing the different cultural ideas relating to women, i know that it's going hard for that to be worked worked in dpurgs all the things related to the revolution and the idea of civil liberties. but at the same time, if we say that education is the only thing that is going to help the country change that, how is that going to be possible with the muslim brotherhood trying to also influence the cultural in egypt? thank you. >> so. he told me two. i took three. i go ahead? [inaudible] okay. one more. >> no. i'll just make it fast. i'm interested in the issue of nonviolence building in islam and in some -- i read that revoting against [inaudible] is that muslims should not

revolt against the rulers. i want to know it from your point of view. [laughter] that's going to be another lecture. okay. let me start with the first question which was about iran and nuclear weapons. i think that we have here two positions one saying we are not doing this, it's not our prompt. it's about for civil this is what is bade the government on the other side. what is said that it's only for nuclear weapon and the army. i would say here that there is something which has to be clear, that for me first the position of principles is that anything which has to do with nuclear

weapons should be abolished and stopped. not only for iran. i would say for all the countries. [applause] it's very easy to target iran where just near to iran you have israel, that is not -- we are not talking about it and even the united states of america and the european countries with, they are lecturing iran why they are having it. and i think that we have to come as a consistent take on the whole issue. now to use what is happening now to go as to attack iran at the current israel administration wants to do that, that's not acceptable. i think that they are trying to do it now in the time where the american administration and the current president is weak because it's before the election. anything could happen be the administration. not only because of him because

of the people who are working with him. so i think that we have to say no to this. so to say, you know, i wouldn't advocate nuclear use for even the civil side. i'm not supporting this. i would try to find alternative wayings of with dealing with our needs on that. when it comes differentiating between the army did [inaudible] the way it has to be done in the civil way. i think it has to be checked but we cannot launch a war in on the terms that we have now. it's not acceptable for anyone but at the same time the right that we are giving to some we should ask ourself why there is a lack of consistency in our policy in the region and the communed of demonization of iran is not helping region to find

solutions inspect is one. the second about what is happening in egypt and in the -- exactly the point you were making is yes, what is happening with the attack on the american embassy. i think that of course is going to be used by the media, it's going to be once again used by people who are saying looks, even know what we are say about the upridessing, it ends up with being against the west. in fact was very, very much in the process over the months of the uprising new slogan against the webs e and the united states of america or european countries. it was against mubarak and the regime. primarily in the regime. nothing against the west. it was powerful because it was an internal talk and slogans

against "the dictator." we have people coming and they are trying to unsettle the whole situation. look what happened is tunisia. and [inaudible] be careful it's not a kiterty world. we have [inaudible] sometimes we call them war happy. they are literalist and the right name is -- [inaudible] they come with black and white they are changing the position. for years they were not involving politics. they were say it has nothing to do islam. in eighth months they changed their position and got 24%. who is pushing this people? who is pushing this people in too tunisia. to butt the government in a situation where they are faces problems because they don't know how to dream. they are dealing on the religious drebility.

-- credibility we have the credibility and we are -- you are not tough enough with movies and arts and from of education presentation. we are the protecter or "the guardian." they are creating diversion from women. it's going to be difficult. it's going to be used by, you know, the poplar or -- [inaudible] our position this it not fall quickly in to the trap by saying this is starting again. it's to understand that from within the society, there are people who are pushed, and there are trends that are supported in order to create division from within the society, and this is why we have to say clearly once again it's a question of consistency. the way you acting against the american embassy is not

acceptable. the freedom of expression is not acceptable. who is pushing you to do things behind this. who is financing this. [inaudible] organizations putting $80 million supporting the movement. so you are helping the people for to be to get democracy and supporting the more conservative trends. what are you trying to do there? divide it. division. it's complex. what was yesterday hope that there can be a unity around religious. it's division with it. between the [inaudible] any process not solving this is going to be a problem. the only answer i can have to

fox news and ours is to explain and explaining i'm not going to be heard anyway. so we try to explain and have to be there to be critical and have citizen speak at the end of the day i'm coming from the islam tradition. what's important about us is americans and europeans and western people being able to say this being able to deconstruct this. to come with something that is a sophisticated approach of the arab world. at end you do much better than anything that can you have the basic knowledge the complex. and you are not doing this the obama administration and our government is not doing the job. i'm asking the american citizens at the end of the day what are you doing to help with the construction of the complex issue to support democratic everywhere. if you are serious about democracy you have to be serious about democracy.

it's about explaining and tenses and understanding from behind the scene what is happening. that's is one answer to the question, the third question was about what you are saying about [inaudible] once again. if i wrote if you don't website. it came after the book was published. i wrote a paper. it's important to be knick and open and open to the civil society. there's something they have a problem with credibility.

they are the guardian of the religious reference. they are dealing with tensions and it's very visible where you see what swhapg the young generations of, you know, the islamists now. they are not happy with the generation in our tension. so this is where we should get this and promote something which is along-term strategy. after one, two, or three months or one year after what happened in egypt to hope it's going to change all of a sudden. it's not going to. we have to be critically involved in the discussion of about, you know, the status of women. religious credibility where you get the religious credibility by [inaudible] or being fearful to the principle west are talking about. equal rights and social justs. we have to challenge the people. the problem is something which is one of the most important disease that we have in the arab world.

which now is becoming international. it's emotional politics. it's we are driven by motions. so this is the way you can play with islam -- this is exactly what the populous are doing with us in the west. they are playing our motions to be scared of the other. to be scared of the muslim -- listen to jihad. scared. emotional politics is populous. you can be pop louse and religious. and you can be populous [inaudible] we need an intellectual jihad. [laughter] i mean it. i mean it an intellectual jihad is really if we are serious about democracy and rights, we really have to understand that we have to discipline our mind, meaning knowledge, meaning understanding the complexity, and resisting emotional politics with our minds. it's really don't get it so

quickly. motions are misleading in the way we portray the others and in the arab world, with it comes to women, you know, if you go in some muslim majority countries and speak about womens right. oh you are westernized. i'm sorry i'm not saying this because i'm coming from the west. i'm say ting the name of islam. you are not respecting the muslim principles. you are -- [inaudible] being [inaudible] you are on the defensive. so the lets you are western, the more you think you are more muslims. that's wrong. that's completely wrong. so i think that we need to come with the critical to be equipped with this. you know what you can do? having voices coming from this saying i'm a practicing muslim, this other principles that i'll advocating and be involved in the discussion. not not let the people there tell us what is the true islam or the right islam. we have to advocated. and the last question about dealing with power.

of course, you know, the [inaudible] you have it in buddhism. when you are dealing with power. if you are serious about the religion. you never resist power. you never challenge the power because this power is begin by god. if you are dealing. you better deal with the bad leader than to crete the thrawlt is going to be worse than what -- [inaudible] better stability than revolution. you have other interpretations when you have an injust leader you have to resist and remove him. he has to be accountable. you cannot receive an injust leader and you have to resist. now the means you have to choose this is important.

it's [inaudible] revolution it is not always as easy as this. you can celebrate revolution but nonviolent ways and thing we need today and i wrote about this in many of the books. for example, even, you know, in my way of resisting what is happening in israel-palestinian conflict. my point was when we what happened in [inaudible] is global movement or nonviolent resistance to israel. nonviolence which is something that is powerful. when you have so many means of communications. sometimes so you to deal with the means and understand nonviolence. it's important. they were nonviolent. i like this man in yemen saying we have weapons, we're not begin do use them. we'll take to the street, they want to kill us. they'll kill us. we're going. and they went i think this is powerful and very, very worried about what is happening in syria. with people giving them weapons and saying go, go do it.

i'm coming once again from monarchies that are given weapons and supported by others who say we don't give them weapons. we give them means. you to think about it. so this is why where i think from an islamic perspective, rev revolution could be a means if there is no other way but we need to think about how do we get rid of the dictators for resistance nonviolent resistance education? this is also once again something that we also have to tackle. it's which kind of education we give. you are talking about if the muslim brotherhood are there which kind of education? it's never, never perfect. we have always to reassess because islamist have a specific way of educating but, you know, traditional islam. i was concerned about what they are doing as an islamic institution in the way they are teaching the scholars, for example. in the way we are coming with

this understanding it's very important also to connect ethics in politics. a way of understanding that as citizens we don't only have rights, you center to duties and one of the doubts is to be the counter power to power. my last arm on my website is power of [inaudible] which way you have to be self-critical as yourself and power. i think this kind of understanding from an islamic perspective is something that we have to right. we have to promote, and it's not at all against the islamic pins. s. quite the opposite. it's very much something we find our tradition. i would say no. it's for me, a contradiction in terms to say i'm a practicing muslim. i will keep quiet in front of a dictator. the only right way of being a man in a woman of faith is to be

courageous. to speak the truth. to say a word of truce to aty ranted. i think this is what -- sometimes you have in our democracy to be courageous. i would like the americans to be a bit more courageous with their government. [applause] box tv has over 150,000 twitter followers. follow booktv on twitter to get publishing news, scheduling updates, author information, and talk directly with authors during the live programming. twitter.com/booktv. i started by saying let us be couchesly optimistic. something is happening which is great. what is great i call in the bock in the tight the awakening. the awaking. of the arab mind and the intellectual revolution with people understanding yes, it's poss